Mount Ida Falls

Poesten Kill Gorge Park is accessed off of Linden Avenue in Troy. From downtown Troy take Route 2 east to the top of a long hill, then turn right onto Route 66, immediately crossing the Poesten Kill. Immediately after the bridge, turn right onto Linden Ave and continue back down hill for a quarter of a mile to the entrance to the park on the right. The falls are visible from the parking lot, but a trail leads down to the creek by way of a former viewing deck which burned down some years ago.Mount Ida Falls is the largest waterfall along the Poesten Kill, found where it drops down a narrow, twisting gorge right in the middle of the city of Troy. The falls consist of six distinct drops, totaling about 175 feet in height, though no single drop appears to be taller than perhaps 30 feet. The first two drops are found in the narrowest section of the Poesten Kill Gorge and cannot be seen from below. The first, and largest of the series, drops about 30 feet immediately below a small dam, followed by a second where the stream constricts through narrows and drops 5-10 feet. The next three tiers drop a total of 75 feet back-to-back-to-back and are viewed easily from the adjacent park. The sixth and final fall of about 15 feet is found just below the large pool at the bottom of the triplet set of tiers. A seventh cascade of perhaps 10-15 feet can be found about 700 feet further downstream but cannot be seen with any of the other parts of the falls.
As it is situated in the middle of a city and the Poesten Kill is a rather large stream, Mount Ida Falls has of course been regulated in a hydroelectric system. The intake appears to be located immediately at the top of the falls and may draw off as much as 250 cubic feet per second from the creek. This may result in as much as a 75% reduction in flow during the peak spring levels. However, there does appear to be a consistent minimum release volume which is allowed over the falls at any given time, so even if the plant is operating at maximum capacity the falls should still be sustained enough to make a visit worth the minimal effort required.As it is found in the middle of Troy, Mount Ida Falls has a rather storied history. According to Russell Dunn's Hudson Valley Waterfall Guide the falls may have been developed for use with an adjacent Mill as early as 1660. The falls have also been known as Poestenkill Falls, Poestenkill High Falls, High Falls and to a much lesser extent, Wire Mill Falls.